Silver no Udedokei
by Masakisseu
Summary: Five girls who spent most of their lives together grew apart during junior high. By chance, they all end up attending Iwatobi high school and try to rekindle their friendship once again. But, things aren't that easy. And, it doesn't help if you have some blonde kid breathing down your neck about joining a swim team. (Don't read if you don't like OCs)
1. Chosen OCs

**The results are in!**

I just want to say that picking between all of your OCs was really hard for me ;A; They were all great OCs, but I could only pick a few. Here are the OCs I chose and I'll PM who the main girls got as their love interest. Some of you got your first choice, but others I had to treat as 'first come, first serve' (and also I kept in mind who would work best with who).

**Main characters:**

Tomoko Sasshihara – (Masakisseu)

Azumi Osaragi – (spiffyglitter)

Takeshi Akamatsu – (Kaithau)

Suzu Kimura – (StingyNachos)

Kaicho Hisomeru – (SkylarkoftheMoon)

**For side characters, that will show up occasionally, I'll be using:**

Ryuu Yamamoto - ( DemonGirlMe)

Saki Yunna - (KawaiiKittyCat)

Yuki Hanasaki - (Suicidebirds)

The club that won the poll (from both poll vote and from a few people in their apps) is the** Advisory board/Student council. **So, all of the girls will be a part of that and I'll decide positions later on.

So there you have it! Expect the first chapter later tonight or tomorrow ^^ And, to the main OC creators, I need you to send in these things about your OC:

Fears (choose one or two)

Hobbies (choose three)

Height

Favorite food (choose one)


	2. Silver Wristwatch

**Note:** Here it is, the first chapter! As I said in one of the updates, this story will have character centric chapters (starting off with Tomoko). If you have any ideas for the story, any special romantic stuff that you want me to write (because I'm not so good at romance, but I try), let me know. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

_**I don't need sad songs, because I can't feel that way.**_

* * *

"I'm hungry..."

Just getting out of grade school for the day, five friends walked aimlessly around on the sidewalk. All they knew was that they wanted to get away from the school building, as if a teacher would come running out to say that class was starting again. Heads turned to the girl who spoke those words, Kaicho Hisomeru looked back at them with a slight pout.

"You didn't eat the school lunch, Kai?" Twirling a strand of hair around her fingers, Tomoko Sasshihara gave her a questionable expression. She received a head shake from the other girl.

Crossing her arms, Takeshi Akamatsu frowned deeply and glanced at Tomoko. "Who could eat that lunch?" She asked, idly kicking a nearby rock with her foot. "What was it anyway? Mushy rice and unknown meat?"

Continuing on their walk, Tomoko couldn't help but agree. She mainly snacked on a bag of chips that she had bought, because the meat was questionable. It was too soft, she couldn't tell if it was pork or beef..or real meat at all. But, usually their friend Kaicho would eat the school lunches. It must've been foul indeed if she didn't bother to eat it. "Hm..Then what should we do? We don't have to go home yet." She swung her school bag back and forth, thinking of different food places.

Kaicho groaned, clutching her stomach dramatically. "I think anything will be better than that lunch..."

A smirk coming across Suzu Kimura's face, she rushed ahead to jump in front of the other girls. The action caused the unsuspecting girls to jump, Tomoko stumbling when she nearly lost her footing. The dark haired brunette just regained her composure and glared at Suzu.

Their rather shy friend, Azumi Osaragi, helped the older girl stand straight with a still frightened expression. "Suzu...that wasn't nice."

Suzu rolled her eyes and turned to keep walking ahead of them, glancing back at them from the corner of her eye. "Jeez, you guys. I was just going to suggest we go to a ramen stand or something."

"Did you have to jump in front of us like a madwoman though?" Takeshi fired back, hating that she was taken off guard like that.

Kaicho was the only one who didn't seem to mind, perking up at the mention of a ramen stand. "Great idea! C'mon, let's go!" Dragging Tomoko and Takeshi along, with Azumi following behind, she pulled the other girls ahead to Suzu.

"Do you think they have sushi? With avocado?" Tomoko pipped up randomly, not minding being dragged whereas Takeshi looked a little annoyed with their hungry friend.

"I don't know, but I sure know that I don't like my hand being dragged." She pulled her hand from Kaicho's grip and held her wrist in her other hand. "You might've pulled something..." Shrugging it off, she put her hands on her waist and stopped walking. This caused the other girls to stop as well, their attention on her now. "How about instead of dragging us along, we have a race?" She proposed, feeling particularly competitive at the moment. "Last one to get to the ramen stand chips in the most money. Deal?"

"Deal!" Suzu agreed for the other girls, a usual grin on her face.

"I didn't plan on running today..." Was all Tomoko said with a wave of her hand, trying to dismiss the idea.

It didn't take much to coerce the oldest girl into doing something, as she usually gave in once Kaicho gave her puppy dog eyes. With a reluctant look in her eyes, Tomoko weakly nodded her head and the four girls stood next to each other. Suzu looked back at Azumi, motioning for her to join them. "Let's go, Azumi! You're in on this too."

Azumi stopped for a moment, hoping her silence had gotten her out of the bet. But, sadly, it wasn't so. She sighed and kept walking, wondering what else Suzu had up her sleeve.

* * *

The result of the race was somewhat predictable, Takeshi and Suzu were close but Suzu ended up pulling the old 'look over there' trick and got ahead. Azumi took a shortcut and got there third. And, Kaicho and Tomoko showed up last, the latter letting Kaicho get there first because she knew that she had slowed the both of them down by stopping to look in the window of a Hello Kitty store. They all chipped in for the food, but Tomoko had ended up paying the most – just like Takeshi had bet. Suzu paid the least as the first person to get there, much to her delight.

"Ah, they have avocado pops!" Tomoko's face brightened as she looked at the menu of the ramen stand, the others making her faces at her weird love for avocados.

Suzu grinned and pointed to something else on the menu, squid kabobs. "And look, they have squid! They're cheap too." The young girl pulled some more of her allowance money out of her pocket, flashing it at the other girls. "I'll buy them for us. What do you say?"

Being the big eater out of the group, Kaicho was intrigued by the possibility of eating something new. Tomoko and Takeshi exchanged looks with each other.

"I don't know..." Takeshi scratched the back of her head. "Is that a challenge or something? Do we get something if we eat them?"

"Ugh..." The oldest girl touched her hand to her neck in a dramatic fashion, side-eyeing the money as if it were the squid itself. "I've never had squid before, it looks icky."

"C'mon, Sasshi!" Suzu rolled her eyes at her senpai and friend. "Be adventurous for once. It's cool to try new things!" Not waiting to hear anything else the girls would say, she gave her money to the old chef and ordered five squid kabobs. "I already ordered them, so it's too late."

Wincing, the purple-haired Azumi felt sick at the thought of eating squid, but she kept her feelings to herself. So, this is what Suzu had planned...

It was always like this. After school, they would gather and look for something fun to do, because none of them really wanted to go home right away. Suzu would want to do something outrageous and they'd end up going along with it, whether they wanted to or not.

When the squid was ready, the elderly chef set down a large plate with the kabobs in front of them. "Here you go, girls." Giving them an amused smile, he went back to taking other orders.

All except Suzu, who had an even wider grin now, the four of them eyed the plate warily.

"Who's going first?" Tomoko asked, glancing around. She sure wasn't going first, even if she was getting hungry from only chips at lunch.

Takeshi pushed the plate to Suzu, giving her a challenging look. "How about you? You wanted them in the first place."

Shooting her a look of her own, the silver haired girl picked up a kabob. "Don't mind if I do." Suzu opened her mouth and dramatically took a bite out of the squid, eating it with gusto. When she finished, she rubbed her stomach teasingly. "So yummy! You guys should try it."

Not wanting to be showed up, Takeshi grabbed a kabob herself. Kaicho also took one, as she was getting hungry and would eat a horse right about now. Azumi decided to bite the bullet and take the next one, leaving leaving the last for Tomoko. The prissy girl just stared at it, like she was face to face with her worst enemy.

"It can't be that bad, Sasshi." Kaicho tried to reason with her, laughing lightly.

"No...That's not it." Tomoko mumbled, clutching her fists.

This brought Suzu's attention away from Takeshi, the child wondering if she took things too far. "Sasshi?"

The oldest girl frowned, starting to seem as if her cat just died. "I...I just realized that I forgot my favorite pencil at school."

The rest of the girls nearly fell off of their stools.

"Just eat the squid, Tomoko!" Takeshi shoved the last kabob in Tomoko's hand and bit into her own, face contorting into a disgusted expression after a moment. "Blech...I'm sooo gonna hurt you, Suzu!"

The silver haired Suzu just laughed.

* * *

Sighing dramatically over her avocado pop, Tomoko kicked her legs as she and Takeshi ate ice cream in the park. "I'm bored..." She looked over at her friend, a small smile that signaled that she wanted something. "Take-chan~"

"Don't call me that."

The twelve year old brunette just smirked at the reaction. "Do you want to go shop-"

"No."

"Do you want to go to the ma-"

"That's practically the same thing. No."

"...Wanna go to the arcade?"

The other girl turned to look back at Tomoko. Now, that was something they could agree on. In contrast to the older girl's girlish personality, she liked to play video games. In fact, their mothers – who were friends themselves – took them to an arcade for their first play date some years ago. Although, Takeshi didn't really like them until her brother got her into them by pestering her to play with him. "Alright, let's go."

The two girls finished their ice cream and headed for the nearest arcade. On the way, Tomoko couldn't help but notice a group of girls passing them. They had on matching friendship bracelets made out of beads. Pursing her lips, she watched the girls with envy, wondering if she and her friends could have something like that. "Hey." Tomoko tugged on the sleeve of Takeshi's shirt.

"Hm?" The younger girl wondered why her friend suddenly sounded so serious. Tomoko just discreetly pointed to the group of girls that passed them.

"They have friendship bracelets." Was all she said, making Takeshi raise an eyebrow.

"And?"

"Annnnd~" Tomoko gave her look of expectance. "I want us to have some too!"

Takeshi nearly slapped her hand against her forehead. Tomoko was in a mood now, something that the kouhai couldn't talk her out of. "Why couldn't we just go to the arcade?" She grumbled to herself, with a shake of her head.

The brunette scanned the area like a girl on a mission. "Let's go to that shop, maybe they have something cool!"

Tomoko seemed to have forgotten about the arcade all together and brought Takeshi to what looked like a pawn shop. It was full of trinkets that were old and new, the game section getting the younger's attention. To their child minds, it gave an adult-feel with it's darker interior. Not like the superstores or the malls they went to when they wanted to buy stuff. Were kids even allowed in here? Maybe Tomoko's mother should've kept a more secure reign on her daughter. But, then again, they weren't in the city. She supposed the girl's mother trusted no one to abduct her or anything.

Browsing around, Tomoko seemed to be drawn to the watches on display. Well, the Hello Kitty watches.

Takeshi gave her friend a glare. "Don't even think about it. You, Azumi, and Kaicho may like that stuff, but Suzu and I don't."

The other girl pouted. "It wouldn't hurt to be a little girly now and then, would it?"

"Tomoko..."

"Alright, alright.." Giving one last longing gaze to the Hello Kitty watches, Tomoko went on to the next watch display.

The two young girl must've attracted attention, because a clerk came up to them. It was a woman, dolled up with makeup and an amused look in her eye. A lot of people gave the girls that look. They supposed it was because girls as young as them usually didn't walk around much without their mothers. But, with a mother who worked a lot, Tomoko was raised to be independent and went about as if she had a right to do as she pleased. Just like a princess. At first, it made the other girls nervous, but they did have fun being by themselves and not under the watchful eye of their parents. Plus, she was almost a teenager. Almost.

"What can I do for you little ladies?" The woman asked with a grin, not passed trying to sell something to preteens.

"Um..." Takeshi let Tomoko do all the talking. She wouldn't realize it until she was older, but despite going around so confidently, the older girl did get nervous around adults all the same. "Do you have any watches meant for younger people? Like, not so serious watches."

The woman – Yuko, her nametag read – chuckled at Tomoko's choice of words and nodded. "I think I have something that you girls would like." She led them to a case of watches that were meant for girls, not all of them girly like the Hello Kitty watches. Most of them were simple and not as large as the regular watches.

Tomoko took her time looking at the watches, seeming to give some serious though into the selection. "Hm..." Finally, she pointed to a group of silver watches that had a stretch band and shiny rhinestones around the band. "What about this one? It's not pink or anything." With a laugh, she looked back at Takeshi.

The younger girl studied the watches as well. It was practical, and would probably last them for some years. Tomoko was right, it wasn't very girly and it also wouldn't be much of a hassle to put on. "Alright, looks good to me."

Smiling brightly at Takeshi's agreement, Tomoko looked back up at Yuko. "How much would five of those watches cost?"

"Well..." Yuko started, taking off the key that was on a string around her neck to open the case. She took out one of the watches and showed it to the two girls. "The price for one of them is $20, but I suppose for you girls, I could part with them for $15 each. So, $75?"

An adult would haggle lower, because the watches would probably go for $15 at department store price, but the girls didn't quite understand the worth of such a thing yet. So, Tomoko thought that it was actually a good deal. "Okay..." She pressed a finger against her chin, thinking hard on something. "But, I don't have enough allowance money for that."

As if expecting her to say that, the sly woman smiled. "It's okay, hun. Tell you what I'll do? I'll just hold onto these for you until you can buy them." Putting the watch back with the others in the display case, she continued. "But, I can only hold it for ten days."

The brunette's eyes widened. "That's not very long at all!"

"Hm.." Takeshi thought on the idea. It would be fun to raise money and the watches would be even better if they had earned it with their own money. She turned to Tomoko, involving herself in the conversation now. "We could do it though. I'm sure amongst all of us, we can find something that we can do."

Hearing this, Tomoko had to agree. With two of them, they probably couldn't find much that they could do for money. But, amongst the five of them, their chances of finding something to do would be heightened. Maybe even their families had something for them to do.

With a newfound mission, she gave a nod to Yuko. "Okay, we'll have the money in ten days then!"

"Alright, girls." Yuko patted the watch case with her manicured hand. "These babies will be waiting for you."

* * *

"Hey, what's up with you?" A thirteen year old Tomoko and the rest of the girls eyed Suzu when the girl refused to go to the arcade with them.

"What's up with me?" The usually cheerful and hyper girl gave them a look of disdain, not looking as jovial anymore. The eleven year old had her hand on her waist, looking at them like they weren't even worth her time. "What's wrong with you guys? All you want to do is play around and goof off! Don't you have anything better to do? I'm tired of that..." A sad expression crossed her face for a moment before she regained her composure again, her face now steeled and angry.

"B-but...We're friends. We hang out to have fun." Azumi tried to reason with her, a bit scared of her friend's sudden change of face.

Suzu shook her head. "I'm tired of having fun and pretending everything is great and dandy! I'm tired of being the 'crazy' old Suzu! I've grown up, don't you get it? And, I don't want to spend my time playing around anymore. I'm not like that anymore!"

Crossing her arms, the oldest girl stood her ground. It wasn't often that Tomoko used her influence as the oldest girl, but she wouldn't be yelled at. "What are you like then?" Her tone was firm, but a small crack in her voice was heard at the end. She was hurt by her friend's change as well. Suzu didn't have fun with them anymore? She didn't like their company?

"This!" The silver haired girl brought her hands to her chest, hating that the other girl seemed to be talking down to her. "This is the new me! Take it or leave it...I'm not going to be all fun and cheerful for you guys anymore."

With that, the girl turned and ran away from them, not leaving room for more argument. The others just stared at her retreating form, not knowing what else to say after the first from their little group left them.

* * *

"I can't hang out with you guys anymore..."

Tomoko, Takeshi, and Kaicho exchanged glances with each other as Azumi told them those words.

"But, why?" Kaicho gave her a confused look.

Azumi just brought her gaze down to the ground. "My parents..."

They were all standing on the front porch of the quiet girl's mansion, coming there at first to ask if she could come with them to the beach. Azumi's family was very well off, her parents being business moguls and such. They never did like their daughter being around any of the girls, preferring her to be around girls whose families were as wealthy as they were. But, they had never put their foot down until now.

"My parents don't want me speaking to you all anymore." Voice becoming increasingly distant, Azumi didn't meet their stares as she spoke. "I'm transferring to a different school as well, so we won't be going to the same junior high school. I'm sorry."

"But..." The eldest girl started to speak, but the sound of the front door creaking open got her attention.

The tall figure of Azumi's father looked down on them with obvious disgust, like the little girls were unwanted pests on his porch. "I apologize, but Azumi is very busy right now." He readjusted his glasses, the glare of them in the sun making him seem even more intimidating. "Why don't you girls find something worthwhile to occupy yourselves with besides asking her to tag along for your little adventures? She has better things to do."

None of them wanting to argue with an adult, they said nothing as the man ushered the silent Azumi inside and closed the door in their faces. Another girl had walked out of their lives.

* * *

Kaicho frowned in frustration as she looked through her backpack for a textbook that she needed for her next class. Where was it? She had asked Tomoko and Takeshi to go ahead, so they wouldn't be late. They offered to share one of their books with her, but she was pretty sure she'd need her own book this time.

"Heh, it's not often you see her without the other two stooges."

A voice perked her attention and she saw two boys speaking out of the corner of her eye, both of them discreetly looking over at her. She said nothing and acted like she didn't hear them.

"She just their third wheel anyway, so it's no surprise. I see the other two together more often."

"I guess you're right. Do they even need her around?"

"She probably needs them. I don't think she has any other friends."

Those words hurt her. Did everyone really see Kaicho like that? Did Tomoko and Takeshi not need her around? She let those words sink in as the boys left to get to class themselves. Tears began to slip down her cheeks involuntarily and she clutched her backpack in her hands. That wasn't true, right? But, Tomoko and Takeshi did spend a lot of time together. But, maybe it was because they lived closer together? Nevertheless, what the boys said made her think that this was what the whole school thought about her. She couldn't let them think that. She had to do something!

A thought came to her head. Maybe she needed to become more independent, branch off from the other two girls for a while.

Sniffling, Kaicho nodded internally at the idea. That's what she would do, she'd talk to the other girls less and maybe her reputation would get better. She didn't want to be known as a third wheel. But, little did she know the impact that the idea would have on their friendship.

* * *

It was deja vu for Tomoko when she found herself and Takeshi on the same bench they had sat in a year ago, eating ice cream. This time, they weren't eating ice cream and Takeshi wasn't in the best of moods. About two months after that day last year, Takeshi's brother died from a drowning accident. The girl had put on a brave face for a long time, at least in front of others, but now Tomoko saw that it was taking a toll on her friend. The younger girl was quiet, staring down at the ground for the longest time. It was brought on when Tomoko accidentally mentioned her brother when they were talking about video games. Takeshi had gone silent and they had been quiet like this ever since.

"I'm sorry..." The sympathetic girl placed a small hand on Takeshi's shoulder. "I didn't mean-"

"Don't be." Takeshi shrugged her hand off, not feeling like being pitied. She finally glared up at the older girl, wondering how she could be so stupid. Tomoko was always absent minded like that and she was beginning to hate it. "That was really dumb, you know."

Tomoko gave a helpless look back, she didn't know what to say. It was mistake and she had stopped herself from saying anything more. What could she do other than apologize? "I know, and I am sorry. I understand that you're hurting, but I didn't-"

"No, you don't understand!" The angry girl cut her off again, practically seething as she stood up from the bench. "You don't understand what I'm going through! You don't know what it's like to lose someone!"

At that, the older girl was speechless. Her eyes were wide, staring back at Takeshi for a few moments before they took on a furious glare. "I don't know? I really don't know?" She stood up as well.

It was dangerous territory that Takeshi was treading in, but she didn't care. "No, you don't."

"What are you talking about? I know exactly what it feels like to lose someone!" Tomoko wasn't very good at being angry, or yelling. Her voice cracked and she always cried when she shouted, but it was something that the younger girl had never seen before from her friend. Or maybe it was ex-friend now...

"It's not the same! You don't under-" It was Takeshi's turn to be cut off as the palm of Tomoko's hand hit her right cheek, turning her face to the side.

Both girls were in shock. Takeshi couldn't piece together what happened, while Tomoko gave a wide-eyed look at the hand she slapped the girl with. Before anymore words were said, the older girl just shook her head and ran past the younger. When the girl left standing there finally pulled herself back together, she brought her gaze down to the silver watch around her wrist and pulled it off with force. Takeshi shoved it in her pocket before running off to her own destination.

They wouldn't see each other again for four years.

* * *

An alarm clock went off, causing a sleepy hand to raise up and try to turn it off.

Seventeen year old Tomoko Sasshihara stretched out on her bed, not wanting to get up. It was just another day. Why couldn't she just sleep forever?

She sighed, finally opening her eyes. "Time to get up."

* * *

_**The girl I was when I was little, who dreamed wholeheartedly, seems so silly now.**_

* * *

**Note:** This isn't it for the girls' childhood, so watch out for flashbacks. But, regarding present time, the rest will be them in high school from now on. I don't know if all the chapters will be long like this. I had a lot to cover in this chapter, but I'll try to make it long again ^^ And, I hope I got everyone's characters right. The chapters are going to begin and end with lines from the actual song, 'Silver no Udedokei' by Morning Musume. Tell me if that's a good or bad touch, I just thought it was a nice idea. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the first chapter!


	3. Pie Eating Contest

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Free! - Iwatobi Swim Club.

* * *

_**Hey hey girl~  
Hanging your head like that won't do any good.**_

* * *

Taking her time while eating breakfast, Takeshi Akamatsu quietly observed her parents eat as well. She was still getting used to living in a new house, as she and her family had just moved last week. They moved to Iwatobi, a town not too far from where they used to live when she was in grade school. You'd think she was used to moving, having to move from her hometown of Fukushima when she was five, but it still took time to get used to things. And, it was her first day of school. Due to moving and leaving her old school, she would be attending Iwatobi High School from this day on. The moving she could take, but going to a new school would take getting used to. The girl would have to make new friends and everything.

Feeling ill at the thought, Takeshi just sighed and stood up to clean her now empty bowl.

"Heading off to school?" Her mother glanced up at her from her own bowl, a small supportive smile on her face.

_No, I'm heading to war. _The bronze haired girl thought bitterly, but just nodded her head. "Yeah..." Putting her bowl in the sink, she turned to pick up her backpack from the side of the table. There were the average four seats at the table, and Takeshi tried not to think too much about the forth one.

It had been five years since her brother died and it didn't hurt her as much anymore, but it made her feel lonely sometimes. That she was now an only child. And, it didn't help that she didn't have any close friends anymore. It was hard to make friends, let alone close ones. Her brother had been her close friend, no matter how much he annoyed her at times. And, Tomoko and the other girls had also been her close friends. When she stopped talking to them, it was hard to find friends who were like any of them. No matter how many new people she met.

"Headin' out." Takeshi left the kitchen for the front door, hearing her parents bid her goodbye, and exited the house.

It was a pretty good day for walking, the sun was shining brightly and it wasn't cold to the point where she had to wear a jacket. At least this day would start on a bad note, even though school days were always bad.

After a few minutes of walking, Takeshi could see the school in the distance and began to mentally prepare herself for her first day of school at Iwatobi. Was this school crummy? Did they have caring teachers? Were the kids all annoying? She guess that she would have to find out–

"Hey!" Takeshi rushed to jump out of the way when a girl on a bike sped past her on the sidewalk. "Watch were you're going, idiot!"

"Sorry!" The person on the bike gave a quick wave without turning, on their way to the high school.

Great. Her first day at school and some jerk nearly runs her over, this was going well.

* * *

Nearly slamming her forehead on her desk, Takeshi glanced up at the clock in the classroom. It was only five minutes until lunchtime, but when she had looked up there not long before it seemed the same!

"Ugh..." The bronze haired girl groaned, stretching out her legs. Might as well get comfortable, another five minutes were probably going to pass and the time still wouldn't change.

The sound of paper rustling got her attention and glanced at her side. A piece of paper was put on her desk, from who she didn't know. That is, until the sound of the blond boy giggling next to her kind of gave it away.

Saying nothing, Takeshi just sat up and picked up the paper. What would this boy have to say to her, a new girl?

_'Want to join the swim club? Check yes for yes or no for I'll think about it.'_ The note read.

What was this boy playing at? She wrote something under the check boxes that he had drawn on there and handed the note back to him.

_'No, for I don't want to join at all.'_

The blond boy's face fell and he glanced over at her with a pout, which she rolled her eyes to.

Giving him a shoulder shrug, she was about to look at the clock again when she found herself face to face with an angry teacher.

"Ms. Akamatsu, do you and Mr. Hazuki have something to share with the class?"

Silently cursing, Takeshi shook her head rigorously. "N-No..."

The teacher was about to take the note from the boy's hands, but a miracle happened and the bell finally rang. Not wasting any time, Takeshi picked up her backpack and fled the classroom before the teacher or that boy could do anything else. What a first day...

Now came one of the most awkward moments of a school day, finding somewhere to sit for lunch when you have no friends.

While some students went off to eat in empty classrooms, Takeshi decided she might as well go an eat lunch outside. She'd seem a lot less lonely if she ate out there instead of sitting at her desk alone. Picking a spot beside a large tree, she sat down on the grass and took out the bento that her mother made for her. She ate idly, looking around at the other students. Most of them were in their own groups and some were in pairs, reminding her of days that she most likely won't relive again. The thought nearly made her sigh in sadness, but the sigh that she really gave sounded more frustrated. Shaking the thought away, the girl rummaged through her bag to take out her MP3 player. Might as well listen to some music while doing nothing, right? Popping the earbuds in her ears, she leaned against the tree and took a sip from her thermos.

_Listening carelessly  
to the music playing in the cafeteria  
And without realizing, I went with the beat  
Beginning to dance from the tips of my toes  
This feeling I have can't be stopped_

She bobbed her head slightly to the sound of the music, letting it take her away from the depressing thoughts.

"No way! Really? Who's your bias then?"

Takeshi plucked out an earbud when she heard someone speak from behind her. Was someone talking to her? Leaning over to look around the tree at the other side, she saw two girl speaking to each other. One had her back to Takeshi, so she couldn't see who it was, but she could see the one who just spoke. Some pigtailed girl.

"My favorite was Tomomi, but she graduated...Now, I think I'm starting to like Mayu."

Wait a minute. That voice sounded a little familiar.

"Ha! I expected you to say that!" The pigtailed girl laughed.

"Oh, really?" Takeshi assumed that the unknown girl was smiling, because she had humor in her voice. "What about you, Yunna? Who's your favorite?"

Listening to them talk, the bronze haired freshman couldn't help but think that she had heard this girl's voice before. But, where? It was on the tip of her tongue.

"Hey!" A different voice called out. This time unmistakably speaking to her.

Takeshi nearly jumped up and looked around, spotting the same blond haired kid from earlier. She fumed. "What? What do you want?!"

He seemed none too intimidated by her tone of voice, simply smiling at her. "Sorry to sneak up on you, I just wanted to get your attention." He started, then took on a puppy dog expression. "Are you sure you don't want to join the swim club?"

Glancing at the other side of the tree once again, Takeshi wondered if that got the attention of the two girls as well. It did. Both of the girls were staring at her and the blond boy with widened eyes.

_Wait a minute._

Taking a longer look at the other girl, she noticed a familiar face. The curly hair, the tawny skin, the ditzy look in her eye...It couldn't be her though, could it?

The girl stood up and motioned for the pigtailed girl named Yunna to follow. "Let's go back inside, we can eat in the classroom."

Yunna grinned and rushed after her. "'Kay, Nyan-cat!"

Nyan-cat...Nyan?

Takeshi took a moment to process what just happened, her eyebrows furrowed.

"You okay?" The blond boy blinked.

Turning her head slowly back to him, she gritted her teeth. "No...And, no, I don't want to join the swim team!" With that, she packed up her things and stormed back to the school. She had went straight back to her locker, deciding to take out the books for her next class while she thought about what just happened.

Was that really Tomoko back there? What was she doing at Iwatobi? Even so, she didn't seem to recognize Takeshi at all. The recollection made her frown. If Tomoko didn't recognize her, then all of her childhood memories would be bittersweet. _Like they already weren't..._Takeshi quietly scoffed and closed her locker, heading to her next class.

* * *

_A few days after the pawn shop visit, Azumi's brother – Motoyasu – decided to be nice to the girls and take them on a trip to Iwatobi for a festival. He was going there anyway to spend some time with his girlfriend, but they were all happy that at least someone in Azumi's family tolerated them instead of shunning them._

"_Hey, look at this!" Suzu waved her hand at the other girls, then pointed to a flyer. It was a flyer for a pie eating event in the festival, and the winner would earn $15. Even better, it was a contest for kids and teens!_

_Tomoko gasped with happiness. "That's enough to buy a watch!"_

_Suzu nodded, Tomoko and Takeshi had told them about the watches and the girls were all excited to raise money for them. Azumi could've just asked her family for the money, but – of course – they would'n't give any of the girls a dime. Nor did they want them treading on their property to do anything for the money. And, the other girls' parents thought that this was the perfect opportunity to learn the value of money and raise it themselves._

"_We should all enter, so we have more chances to win." She continued, making Azumi fiddle with her hands in nervousness._

"_I don't know...My stomach is pretty sensitive. What if I get a stomach ache?" The shy girl reasoned._

_Kaicho just grinned and fist-pumped. Of course she'd like the idea of eating something tasty. "I'm game!" Without waiting for the other girls to say anything, Kaicho rushed to the ticket vendor, asking for participant tickets for the contest._

_Azumi just groaned and took the ticket that the hungry girl gave her when she came back, saying nothing else._

_**~An hour later~**_

"_On your mark..." The announcer loomed over them with his microphone as the contest was about to start. "Get set. 1...2...3...Go!"_

_Takeshi and Kaicho were the first ones to dig into their pie. Takeshi, with a passion for contests, and Kaicho because she just liked food. Suzu was close behind, wanting to win this contest and get the prize money. Azumi and Tomoko...not so much. Azumi slowly picked up the fork and tried to decide whether to eat fast or not. Tomoko sliced her pie in fours and took her time eating it, pretty sure that the others would already win before her. So, why rush? Free pie._

"_C'mon, Kaizu. Eat the pie!" Azumi's brother called out to her, trying to cheer her on._

"_Uh..." The quiet girl glanced at him. "But, I don't want my stomach to hurt later."_

_Motoyasu just sighed._

_Kaicho ended up winning the contest, to the despair of Takeshi and glee of Suzu. Yeah, they were all in it for the same thing, but the competitive girl still would've liked to win._

_Gathering around after the contest, Kaicho gave Tomoko the money to keep with her. But, they all took a moment to drool over the $15, as it was their first time winning any sort of cash._

"_I can't believe we did it..." Kaicho smiled, still giddy from the high of winning. She had never won a lot, so anytime she did win was fun._

_Azumi nodded. "Yeah...Now all we have is $60 to go!"_

_Putting the money in her pocket, Tomoko agreed with a smile of her own. "It still seems so–" She was promptly cut off when someone had bumped into her, knocking her on the ground. "Omf!"_

_The girls rushed to help her up, Takeshi waving her fist at whoever knocked over her friend. "Hey, watch it!"_

_A group of boys around their age looked back at them, a blue haired boy giving a look of slight surprise. They guessed he was the one who bumped into Tomoko.  
_

_A sleepy-eyed brunette boy gave them an apologetic look, seemingly trying to make up for his silent friend. "We're really sorry, please excuse us."_

_After making sure Tomoko was okay, the boys left to their own devices. Some blond boy talking about going for a swim later on._

"_As I was ABOUT to say..." Tomoko brushed herself off, her eyebrow twitching. "At least we got a head start, but $60 still seems so far away..." She pouted._

_Suzu put her arm around Tomoko's shoulder. "Don't worry! We'll meet the deadline eventually. What is it five days left?" She watched as the older girl nodded. "We can do it, five days is plenty!"_

_The others nodded, but they knew they would have to do some serious cracking down in order to make $60 in five days._

* * *

_**Even the familiar streets remind me of that day  
Just like a tragic heroine  
Whose cloudy skies never clear...**_

* * *

**Note: **I was going to write a little more, but decided to save it for the next chapter. The next chapter will be an Azumi centric chapter ^^ And yes, we have a brief appearance from our boys. A very brief one. Since we're on the topic of them, here are the pairings.

Tomoko/Rin

Takeshi/Makoto

Azumi/Haru

Kaicho/Rei

Suzu/Nagisa

And also, the song lyrics I added in were part of AKB48's 'Koisuru Fortune Cookie'. I see it as a sort of opening or ending song to this story xD But, then again, that's what Silver no Udedokei is. Anyway~ I hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^^


	4. The Advisory Board

_**So kiss the sky, step out into this big world, make your future – Silver no Udedokei**_

* * *

"_I don't want to continue in this school. Please, let me attend a school of my own choosing..."_

"_Of your own choosing? May I remind you, my dear, that you don't have the best skill in decision making?"_

"_B-But, I don't like the school you picked for me...No one likes me, they're all so cruel..."_

"_Oh, don't give me that. They're no different from any of us. Maybe you should even start acting like them."_

"_Why would you say that?"_

"_All I'm saying is that if you acted your status, then maybe they wouldn't treat you like a commoner. I don't blame them."_

"..._Dad...I'm sorry, but I'm not going back for the next semester. I already know where I want to go next."_

"_Oh? And, where is that?"_

"_Iwatobi High School."_

* * *

Opening the door to the vice principal's office, Azumi Osaragi peeked in. The office was dull and a little bit barren, indicating that he probably wasn't in very much, and the main color scheme seemed to be white and gray. It was like – well – an office. A very boring one at that. The man himself was sitting at his desk, seeming to be going over some paperwork before his attention was brought to the quiet girl.

"Ah, Osaragi...Please, come in!" He beckoned her in with a gesture of his hand, placing the papers aside.

The vice principal was a middle aged man. Or perhaps a little more. Older than middle age, but looked too young to be a senior citizen. He also favored Azumi more than some of the other students in the school, mainly because she did fairly well in her school work and her parent's money. But, mainly because of the money. No surprise there. It was always hard for her to find honest people in her life who would prefer her over her status. But, that thought always brought her down anyway, because there was nothing particularly remarkable about her. So, how couldn't money outshine her?

Taking a seat in the chair in front of his desk, the girl gave him a polite smile. "You called for me, sir?"

Nodding, the man got down to business. "I don't know if you've heard from one of your teachers yet, but the school is opening up an advisory board. Student council, you can say. The board will create and host new events for the students, among other things. I thought who better to have be the president of that board than my star student?" A buttered up smile came to face. Azumi had seen that look given to her parents enough in her life.

A student council? To be honest, the girl was far from being the star student. Yes, she tried to keep her grades all As, but it was only out of fear that her parents would shun her – as they would whenever she came home with less than perfect grades. Even one B would get her in trouble. She wasn't even doing very well in math at the moment, something that she was trying to keep hidden from her parents. But, maybe being on a student council would levitate their anger. "Um, I don't think I'd be a very good leader..." A nervous chuckle came from her.

"Nonsense." The vice principal pushed on. "I'm sure the daughter of Kiyonori Osaragi would inherit some of his leadership skills."

At the mention of her father, Azumi's tone came out a littler harsher than she had intended. Ever since she had switched from her old school to this one, she and her father had been on worse terms than they had ever been. "I didn't inherit much from him. Really, I'd much rather have another position."

Smile disappearing a bit, the elder backed down. Perhaps he thought that if Azumi was president, then her parents would be so happy that they'd donate money to the school. No chance. Her parents wouldn't give a penny to anyone or anything that they thought was beneath them.

Taking on her former light tone, she continued. "How about I be treasurer?"

As Azumi expected, that smile came back in no time. "Ah, of course! I should've suggested that in the first place!"

How long would she have to keep up this fake smile for him?

He picked up a piece of paper, eyes scanning over it for anything wrong before handing it to her. "This is a small list of current students that have signed up for the board. Unfortunately, we can't pick all of them. There are only five spots available. Are there stand out names you see here? Any other star pupils?" More like any other rich kids.

Azumi just took the paper from him and looked it over. She barely talked to anyone, so how would she know? Sure, she had heard of some of the more 'high status' students – from her mother's goading, of course – but a lot of them were snobby and rude. The main reason why she left her old school. "Huh..?"

Her breath stilled when she spotted three familiar names.

_Tomoko Sasshihara._

_Kaicho Hisomeru._

_Suzu Kimura._

Call it selfishness, or just a moment where she could blame it on not thinking clearly, but Azumi immediately turned the paper back to the vice principal. "These three." She said sternly, pointing to the names of her former best friends.

The man had to do a double take. "B-But...none of them are particularly...intelligent."

"Trust me." Azumi told him simply, unmovable from this decision. It was rare that the timid girl was firm with people, but this wasn't something that she could let go to chance. "They're perfect for this." She made a mistake by letting her father control her into leaving them, but now she had a second chance.

"Well..." The vice principal seemed highly disappointed, it seems that she lost a little favor with him. Oh well. "I will send them each an email informing them of their acceptance. There's still a need of a fifth member, so please..." A final plea for another rich member came from him. "If you know anyone _good_ for it, let me know."

Nodding, Azumi stood up from the chair. "I will. Is that all, sir?"

The vice principal gave a nod himself, with one last cheap grin. "Yes, you may leave."

* * *

"Eh, what's this...?" Looking up at a school poster board with several flyers, Takeshi saw advertisements for clubs and after school activities. It was her first day and the girl wasn't really looking for something to do right away. But, she stopped for a moment anyway to read the ads, spotting nothing good right away. That is, until she saw a flyer for a gamers event. That could be interesting...

Reading the flyer silently, Takeshi picked up the chained pen that was attached to the board. "So...sign here?" About to sign her name for the event, her attention was guided elsewhere after hearing a shout to her right. Looking over, she spotted the back of that person who almost hit her with their bike earlier. They were talking with that blonde kid – Hazuki was his last name, she remembered.

"Please, leave me alone! I don't want to join the swim club!" The biker pleaded, trying to let that wolf-in-sheep's-clothing boy down gently.

He gave a whine, clutching the flyer for the swim club in his hands. "Are you sure?" He asked.

The biker girl gave a large sigh. "I'm so sure."

"Crap..." Takeshi figured that she better hurry and sign her name before that boy spotted her standing there, swiftly jotting down just that on the flyer and sneaked away. Little did she know that the wrong flyer was signed.

* * *

Heading over to the school announcements board, Azumi had to see her old friends' signatures for herself. They were really here at Iwatobi? How could such a coincidence happen?

Making a point to ignore Nagisa and whoever he was talking to, she walked up to the board. It was never good to spend an extended amount of time with that boy. As the paper back in the vice principal's office indicated, there were her friend's signatures on the flyer for the advisory board. "Wow..." Looking down on the sign up sheet, she spotted one more familiar name. "...No way!" Quickly covering her mouth, she quietly read over the name again.

_Takeshi Akamatsu._

This was too much. They were all attending Iwatobi and Azumi didn't even know? For how long?

"Osaragi-chan!"

Brought out of her thoughts, she turned around to spot a familiar head of blue hair. It was Rei Ryugazaki, a student from her class who was also pretty smart. But, he was a bit of a nerd. Like, really nerdy. He wore a _quadruple-strapped_ backpack for God's sake. They spoke on and off, but mainly when it involved school work. They were 'convenient friends', if that was even a thing. Both not really having friends, they spoke to each other during school. "Ah, yes?" She asked, thoughts still on Takeshi.

"I had heard that the school was opening an advisory board and thought it might be interesting." He adjusted his glasses idly. "Although, I'm not sure whether to join that or the track team. But, I hear that you're going to be on the board. How do you feel about it?"

So, the vice principle planned to put her on it regardless of her answer.

"Um..." Being selfless for most of her life, Azumi could afford one more moment of selfishness, right? "I think it'll be interesting...But, the positions got filled pretty quickly. It's already full."

From behind his glasses, she could see the boy's eyes widen in surprise. "Oh, really? That was fast, since the board was announced just yesterday. I suppose I'll join the track team then."

Feeling a little guilty, the girl nodded enthusiastically. "T-That's a great idea! Girls like boys who do track. Heh..." She gave a small laugh and watched as Rei's cheeks involuntarily turned pink.

"Oh? Well, there is this girl..." He trailed off, really giving Azumi's lie some thought. Suddenly, he grinned proudly for whatever reason and started speaking more to himself. "I want her to see me at my most beautiful! I guess I couldn't do that if I were in the advisory board."

Eye twitching a little, the purple haired girl just smiled. "You do that, Ryugazaki-kun. I'll see you later, okay?" Not that he seemed to notice her leave anyway with his newfound enthusiasm, she snuck away from him.

_Nerd..._

* * *

"_Azu...You really care about those other girls, huh?"_

_Turning her head away from the car window, Azumi glanced at her brother with a questionable look. They were on their way back home from the Iwatobi festival after dropping the other girls off. "Hm?"_

_Motoyasu just gave her a look and turned his sights back on the road as he drove through the expressway. "You know what I said." He chuckled, but went on. "You've never...You've never disobeyed father like this before. He told you that you couldn't be friends with them, but you do it anyway. Are they really worth it?"_

_Thinking on the question, Azumi remembered how angry her father was when she saw the girls again after his first warning. He had never yelled at her before, taking away several of her privileges. The main reason why she couldn't use her own money to help pay for the watches was really because her father took away her monthly allowance until she stopped speaking to them, but she never told the girls that because she didn't want them to feel guilty about it. "They are..."_

"_Why?" Her brother asked simply, not accepting that as an answer. His eyes didn't leave the highway and it was one of the rare times she saw her more loose brother be so serious._

"_Do you need to ask?" Subconsciously, her hands gripped the skirt that she was wearing. "You've gone through enough friends and girlfriends to tell the real ones from fake ones. The ones that don't pretend to like you to get something out of it."_

_Motoyasu said nothing as his youngest sister continued._

"_My friends aren't friends with me for money...or social status. They're friends with me because they like me." __Until know, Azumi didn't know that she felt so passionately about the subject of friends._ "And, I don't have a lot of likable qualities! I'm shy. I don't know how to talk very much. I'm awkward. Even you guys don't talk to me very muc_h!" __She had just accepted those qualities about herself and that she probably wouldn't ever have many friends. But then, the girls came along._  


_Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him wince at the accusation about him and her other siblings. The little girl knew that he loved her, as well as her other family members. But, they didn't show it very well. Her family didn't interact like the average one. They just exchanged pleasantries from time to time and kept everything too personal to themselves. No 'I love you's or 'I'll always be there for you's were said amongst them. It was something said silently and they each understood, except for a kid like Azumi. With her young mind, she didn't know that showing such emotion was seen as weak to the upper class. All she knew was that her family didn't care for each other like they should have. Everyone just figured that she'd finally realize when she got older._

"_Just..." The young man looked like he wanted to say more, but stopped himself. "Make the most of this time as you can. Dad isn't going to stay passive about this forever." He took a hand off of the steering wheel and pointed to the glove compartment. "Open that, will you?"_

_Azumi did as her brother instructed, still a bit on edge from their conversation – until she saw what was in there. "...Money? Why is there money in here?"_

_Her brother shrugged, giving a light chuckle. "Oh, it's just something I put in there. You can have it, if you want. It's all spare change to me." He laughed when she took a minute to count the money._

"_This is $30!" She exclaimed, her mouth gaping at him. This would bring their watch bill to...Well, $30._

"_Go use it to buy those necklaces or whatever you kids wanted." Azumi knew her brother was just trying to play off his generosity, he knew full well what she and the others were saving up for._

_Leaning over to the driver's seat, Azumi gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, onii-chan!"_

_"Tch...yeah, yeah."_

* * *

___**The world is full of love. It makes you forget all the sad things. – Koisuru Fortune Cookie**_

* * *

**Note:** Hm, I wonder who Rei likes? Jeez, I hope I kept him in character. Next to Haru, Rei's someone I'm probably going to struggle with keeping in character. But, don't worry. I got this (lol). And, Takeshi accidentally signed up for the Advisory Board? *le gasp* The next chapter is a Kaicho chapter. I'll try to have that out soon. And also, tell me some stuff you want to see the girls doing in future chapters. Or, something you want them to do with the boys. All suggestions are welcome. By the way, I created some chibi versions of the OCs as best as I could. Mainly for fun. I put up the link to the picture of them on my page, if anyone wants to see.


End file.
